I'll Take Care of You
by Gingersnaps2507
Summary: I wonder what this could be, surely it's not another sick!Ethan and caring!Cal fanfiction? (I'm obviously not that great at selling my stories, but I think the title is pretty self-explanatory).
1. Chapter 1

_Yep, you guessed it, another sick!Ethan and caring!Cal. I don't think there's anything wrong with me._

 _Hope you enjoy. X_

* * *

Ethan stifled a sneeze into his tissue and rested his aching head in his hands.

He hadn't felt good all day yesterday but nevertheless he'd still dragged himself around the ED, the majority of his energy concentrated on trying to appear as normal as possible to patients and, well, colleagues, for that matter. Honestly, he knew he should've rested to stop himself from feeling as awful as he was now, but that apparently just wasn't something that Dr Hardy would consider. Though it seemed everyone was a genius with hindsight.

And, if he was for once going to be honest with himself, that statement was completely and utterly true and – not that he was going to share this information with anyone because that would just be entirely too wide of the mark for Ethan but – _today was so much worse._

The doctor sighed, pushing himself up into a sitting position with very shaky arms. He held his arm to his clammy forehead, the other all but giving away beneath him, and tried to will away the dizziness with sheer mental power, but his woozy state gave the impression that it had complete supremacy over him.

Ethan sighed heavily, sniffing harshly and leaning his head against the back of the sofa, letting his eyes slip shut. He moaned lightly, blowing his nose to try and quell the tickly feeling. It seemed as though hauling himself off to work was going to be a struggle today. Ethan squinted at the clock through watery eyes, but it looked – or not so much, given his current lack of glasses – as if his eyesight was even further impaired in his present pitiable and sympathy warranting situation.

"Ethan?" The voice made him jump, and he hurried to hide his tissues in his back pocket, returning his glasses to his face from their previously abandoned position on the coffee table.

The younger cleared his throat... "Wait, what time s'it?" he asked frantically, reaching to get his phone so that he could discretely wipe his nose.

"It's fine, we've got 20 minutes," said Cal. "You alright?"

Ethan hummed in confirmation. "Just having a bit of a slow day," he lied, knowing Cal would take his word for it. He knew that Ethan had always been sleepy and groggy in the mornings, and that he was sensible enough to set his alarm early so that he could have some time to wake up properly and allow for his sluggishness.

Cal nodded, though he did notice that Ethan seemed slightly more dazed this morning and his eyes looked somewhat unfocused despite him having his glasses on. His eyes appeared to be slightly puffy, too, even though it was months away from spring. "If you're sure?"

"I'm sure," Ethan whispered, squinting as Cal opened the living room curtains and he was left with the sun blindingly glaring down on him through the window.

Cal made his way over to the kitchen. "You want a cuppa?" he asked.

Ethan went to respond, but his nose had just gotten all itchy again. His breath started hitching. Ethan covered his mouth with his hand, thankful that Cal had put some distance between them, and desperately tried to keep quiet for his own sake. The thought of Cal fussing over him only made his headache worse.

"Ethan?" Cal prompted, having not received a response from his brother. Mercifully, he didn't turn around and kept his attention on filling the kettle. Chest heaving inaudibly, Ethan's eyes fluttered shut and he was forced to bury his face into his elbow.

The sneeze was tiny, but Cal still managed to hear and looked up to see Ethan's back jolting forward marginally when the second escaped.

"Bless you…" he said sceptically, and Ethan's hopes dashed a mile. "You kept that quiet," he frowned, obviously picking up that Ethan was trying to hide something.

Ethan sniffed quietly, letting out a small sigh.

"You look flushed," Cal was in front of him like a mother hen before Ethan had the chance to open his mouth, let alone form a response.

"I'm fine," Ethan lied. He was wondering how he was going to stand up when he felt so dizzy.

He knew that Cal could tell he was feigning it, – Oh how Ethan _wished_ he _was_ pretending his illness – however he didn't push any further. He didn't even put a hand to Ethan's forehead; much to the younger's gratitude. "…If you say so," Cal still sounded unconvinced.

"Uh-hmmm," Ethan used the arm of the sofa to help him get to his feet when Cal wasn't looking. He shut himself in the bathroom, running the taps so Cal wouldn't hear him blowing his nose. He splashed cold water on his face, then proceeded to give his flushed cheeks and the dark circles under his eyes a reproachful look in the mirror.

Ethan cursed inwardly when he found the bathroom cupboard had an empty stock of both Ibuprofen and Paracetamol. There wouldn't be better way _in the world_ of showing Cal he was 'fine' than taking a box of painkillers out of the kitchen cupboard right in front of his older brother.

Ethan sniffed again, running his fingers through his hair to ensure every blonde strand was orderly, and made the decision to abscond the bathroom before Cal started getting suspicious again.

"Tea's on the table, Eth," Cal said, retreating to his bedroom to get ready and _closing_ the door behind him.

Perhaps he wasn't cursed.

Ethan could've leaped into the kitchen with celebratory relief if his head wasn't pounding and his knees didn't feel like they were ready to buckle beneath him. He sighed contently, immediately heading to the cupboard and pulling out the packet of Nurofen. Ethan gulped two pills down with his tea, glanced at the clock and realised he had enough time to experience the pleasure of being able to – in Cal's absence – rest his head on his arms for a few minutes.

After he'd delayed for as long as possible, Ethan armed himself with a bottle of water, tissues, painkillers, lozenges, decongestants _and_ some Echinacea (which usually worked wonders with his allergies) and managed to stuff everything into his bag before Cal emerged from his room.

"Ready, Nibbles?" Cal asked, throwing his coat over his shoulders.

Ethan nodded, sniffing as quietly as he could and grabbing his phone and wallet from the table. His eyes momentarily fell on his keys, hesitating for a second. "You can drive," Ethan told his brother.

"Okay," Cal nodded, already turning his own keys in the front door. He gave Ethan a final glance, handed the younger his coat and rested his hand on Ethan's shoulder as he locked the door behind them both. "You're a bit wobbly," Cal commented.

Ethan sighed, "I'm fine, Caleb, just a little tired," he lied.

Cal once again didn't push, but kept his hand on his brother's shoulder as they made their way down the stairs. Ethan surprisingly found himself not trying to shrug him off.

As soon as he breathed in the cold morning air outside Ethan's nose began to run. He groaned internally, hiding this from Cal was going to be a lot more difficult than he'd previously imagined. As discretely as he could, Ethan pulled one of his tissues out of his back pocket and tucked it up his sleeve, turning away from Cal so that he was able to wipe his nose as quickly as possible. The younger sniffed loudly once Cal had let go of him to get into the car and – masked by all the chirping birds and passing cars – Cal didn't seem to hear.

Once Ethan was in the car, he immediately rested his throbbing head against the cold surface of the window and closed his eyes. He flinched when Cal touched his shoulder, but the older didn't comment and Ethan hoped that he'd believed him when he'd said he was just tired. Ethan wrapped his arms protectively around his stomach, hoping Cal wouldn't pick up on this. His abdomen had begun to drum its faint protests along with the rest of his aching body, and Ethan longed for the time when he could take some more painkillers.

Eventually he heard Cal start the engine and reverse out of the parking space, and Ethan could only be glad that it seemed as though Cal's attention had shifted from observing his brother.

* * *

Ethan's eyes shot open at the blaring of ambulance sirens, and he just about managed to lift his head from the window, only to be met with Cal's concerned gaze burning straight into him. He blearily looked around, realising that they were in the hospital car park.

It only took three or so minutes to drive to the hospital, so Ethan was honestly surprised that he'd managed to fall asleep, no matter how exhausted he was feeling.

"Ethan, we've still got," Cal checked his watch, "…five minutes. If you need to go home, now's the time to decide, alright?" he said softly, looking into Ethan's eyes again.

"'S fine," Ethan said sadly, shaking his head as he recognised Cal's new approach. "I'll be OK," he sniffed lightly, brushing the condensation from the glass off of his forehead. Ethan could feel another sneeze coming. _Great_ , that was the last thing that was going to benefit his side.

The two brothers unbuckled their seatbelts and grabbed their bags, heading out of the warm safety of the car.

"So, you're definitely finishing at the same time as me, right?" Cal asked as he exited the vehicle.

Ethan scrubbed harshly at his nose, dizzily lurching around the side of the car as his eyelids fluttered. "Yes, I finish at s-" he paused as a gasping breath escaped his lips, then tried to carry on talking in hope that if he just ignored the sneeze it would go away. He was interrupted mid-sentence, though, when the sneeze in combination with him still speaking made the weirdest noise.

Ethan felt his cheeks go red when Cal suddenly stopped where he was. "Eth! What the heck was that?" he exclaimed, amusement seeping into his expression.

"I don't know, I kind of tripped and…" Ethan was forced to stop and grab a tissue as a further two sneezes burst out of him. He sniffed, looking up at Cal and realising his cover story hadn't made much sense anyway.

"You're ill, aren't you?" Cal concluded.

Ethan looked away to stop Cal's blue eyes piercing through him again. For a moment, he considered letting his guard down, but that would only create a fuss and mean the E.D were left a doctor down at such short notice, as Cal would no doubt drive him home the second he admitted it. "No," he laughed. "Your car's just really dusty, that's all."

"You were sneezing at home too," Cal pointed out.

Ethan struggled to think of a response. "I-I… I haven't dusted for a while, that's all. You know I don't agree with dust very well," he said, quickly wiping his nose on his tissue. He looked up at Cal pleadingly.

The older shot up his hands in surrender. "Fine, fine, it's just the dust then. Let's go," he said, putting his hand on Ethan's back to encourage him forwards. He heard Ethan sniff again and shook his head. However, he decided to respect his brother's wishes and not interfere again, just this once. That was at least true until a few hours had passed and Ethan would inevitably be on the point of collapse, but Cal decided to let the day play out how Ethan wanted it to for now.

"What?" the younger asked when he caught Cal watching him as they neared the building.

"Just… come and find me if there's any more dust, okay?" Cal said seriously, though he couldn't help but let a small smile spread across his face.

Ethan huffed, "I'm fine, Cal."

It was possibly the biggest lie he'd ever told.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Becs2202** , I think I'd be inclined to agree. Thank you!_

 _ **CPTeen16** , I can try – I'm not as big a fan of hurt!Cal and caring!Ethan, and as I'm sure you can tell I'm not the speediest with updates, but watch this space!_

 _ **sweeet-as-honey** , thank you! I don't imagine that Connie would appreciate the inefficiency of a member of her team even if they had dragged themselves out of bed to work. I do also like that Cal respects what Ethan wants him to believe even though he is the older sibling – I know that I wouldn't be as patient with my younger siblings!_

 _ **CBloom2** , thank you! I could probably read them all day too, although I can't claim to be as efficient in writing them._

 _ **Tanith Panic** , thank you so much! I think I'm just very impatient with the summaries after working on a piece for some time._

 _ **Guest** , thank you, it's always reassuring to know that someone thinks I'm writing people in character!_

* * *

Ethan had to excuse himself from the cubicle, for the third time that hour, when he felt his nose get all itchy again.

He sniffed, making a quick visual scan to check that Cal was nowhere in sight, and slipped into the staff toilets. Breath hitching desperately, Ethan just about managed to grab a couple of tissues from his pocket before three consecutive sneezes burst out of him, muffled into the fabric. He sighed heavily, sniffing and wiping his nose on the tissues. Ethan looked around, thankfully noticing that no one else was in the room, and went to sit down in a cubicle, resting his spinning head in his hands. The sneezing had done nothing to help his head, or his nauseous stomach, which didn't fail to make itself known by churning and throbbing uneasily.

Ethan took a deep breath and closed his eyes, feeling a wave of heat pass over him. He surprised himself by letting a small whimper escape his lips, however he was soon leaning over the toilet bowl, breathing heavily and wrapping an arm around his swirling abdomen.

 _No, Ethan, you will_ _ **not**_ _do that here, okay?_

Squeezing his eyes shut, he blew out a shaky breath and wearily pushed himself up off the floor, leaning on to the wall for support.

Ethan staggered over to the sink and splashed some cold water over his face, squeezing his eyes shut again as he struggled to hold his aching head up. He swallowed harshly, wiping the back of his hand over his flushed cheeks and subconsciously resting a hand over his stomach. Ethan sniffed; readjusting his glasses and making his way back out into the E.D.

Thankfully, he was able to drop by the staffroom and swallow a couple more Nurofen, which went seemingly unnoticed, before he had to return to his patient with the excuse of being caught up in an emergency.

Once the discharge forms had been signed, Ethan made his way over to Admin to touch up the notes. He sniffed, feeling the congestion beginning to set in, and rubbed his forehead in hope of easing his headache. Ethan didn't think he would be able to last much longer. He was becoming increasingly bunged up, his head was that of a jumbled, feverish mess and he felt so, so sick.

Ethan closed his eyes as he felt his vision begin to spin and let his forehead drop into his now stilled hands. He could feel his legs start to wobble beneath him, warm air flowing into his surroundings. His head felt like it was swimming.

"Ethan?"

The young doctor jumped, staggering backwards on shaky legs. He felt himself falling for a second, but when he opened his eyes he found he was in Cal's arms.

"Hey, jumpy," Cal laughed lightly, pushing Ethan up straight again. He frowned, feeling the younger sway under his grip, and kept his hands firmly on his brother's shoulders. "Ethan, buddy?"

Ethan shivered, wiping a hand across his clammy forehead. "Yeh?" he breathed.

Cal's frown deepened. "Did you just nearly faint?"

The younger weakly shook his jumbled head, breathing heavily and closing his eyes again. He felt Cal's hand on his forehead and flinched, it felt like ice. "Too cold…" he slurred, feeling himself shivering again.

"Alright, buddy, you're burning…" Cal sighed, turning Ethan to face him.

Ethan's face had completely blanched, and he had his eyes squeezed tightly shut. "Cal," he whispered, still breathing too fast and too heavily, "feel weird… d-dizzy." His head flopped against Cal's chest, and he had to grasp on to Cal's forearms to steady himself.

"Whoa there, let's get you sat down, alright?" said Cal, moving one of his hands from Ethan's shoulders so that he could wrap an arm around his waist.

He felt Ethan nod against his shoulder, leaning more of his weight on Cal as he tried to bury his roasting forehead in Cal's chest.

"No one's looking, buddy, just try to concentrate on breathing," Cal rubbed his back, helping Ethan to slowly inch forward towards the staff room.

As soon as Cal started moving him forward Ethan wanted to scream his protests, but he didn't think it would do anything for his headache and Ethan doubted he'd be able to sum up enough energy to shout. The hospital in front of him was spinning, tumbling tauntingly in front of Ethan in the hazy depths of his stuffy head. Being so close to his brother wasn't helping either; it seemed as though Cal's body heat was only elevating his temperature further. Cal's movements seemed too rough and too quick and Ethan felt as though his whirling head couldn't keep up. He felt his body sway to the side again as he cringed away from the heat, but Cal was quick to bring him back close. "Stop…" Ethan panted, swatting away Cal's hand and blowing out a shaky breath.

His head felt way too heavy as he squinted around for something to latch on to. He didn't get much luck though; his already diminished vision was obscured by a cloudy mist. Ethan blinked several times, but the world indecorously refused to normalise.

It wasn't long before he felt Cal's freezing hands on his back again, but his arms felt too feeble and achy and too heavy to lift up in protest. He could just about hear Cal's calls of his name over the ringing in his ears, but in his jumbled state it was as if he'd forgotten how to form a reply. Ethan closed his eyes, trying to lean into Cal's support if he couldn't fight against it, however it didn't do anything to dismiss the nausea in his stomach or the pounding in his head. If he could just stop his ridiculing head from spinning then maybe- maybe he could…

Cal was half expecting Ethan's knees to buckle when they did and – with his arms full of not-so-baby brother – he realised the whole ordeal could've been avoided if he'd just carried Ethan into the staff room in the first place. "What am I going to do with you?" he muttered, sighing heavily under his brother's weight, and decided not to tease him about his height for a while, considering their present arrangement. He supposed Ethan would also be glad that he was small enough for Cal _not_ to award him with an abundance of bruises, courtesy of the ED floor.

Cal heard the heels before he saw her. "Dr Knight? Would you consider this appropriate behaviour for an Emergency Department?"

Cal cringed, looking over his shoulder and instantly regretting the eye contact he made with his boss. "Ethan fainted, Mrs Beauchamp. I was trying to get him sat down in the staff room but we-"

"I'm your boss, Dr Knight, not your biographer. Dr Hardy can rest for an hour and then I want him back on the shop floor, unless he's feeling any worse by that time, in which case tell him he can come and find me, okay?" Mrs Beauchamp upheld eye contact.

Cal felt as though she was glowering right into him. "Got it, boss."

Without so much as a correction, Connie stalked back into her office, heels resounding across Admin.

Cal patted Ethan's back, hoisting him up as he felt him slipping. "I'm sure you'll look forward to it, won't you, buddy?" he murmured.

* * *

Disappointingly, Ethan didn't feel very refreshed when he woke up.

He'd been eager to wake to find himself buried under his duvet, birds chirping and sun beams gently shining through gaps in the curtains.

As it was, all he was met with was the uncomfortable staff room sofa and a pounding headache.

The only noise in the room was his brother's persistent calls of his name, though he could hear the faint hum of the ED, but Ethan guessed the staff room door had been closed. He opened his eyes, _so much for that idealised fantasy_.

No gentle sun beams or comfy duvets were anywhere in sight, just the blinding glare of the bright hospital lights. Ethan felt as though his stomach might rebel, but he couldn't comprehend that that was only down to the sight of the staff room. He closed his eyes again, wondering if he would've fathomed over why the lights were so intensely glaring, if a hospital was supposed to be a welcoming and comfortable for sick people, if he didn't feel so drained.

He heard his brother say his name again and frowned, wishing the older deigned to expand his vocabulary. It might've given Ethan a little more incentive to engage with the day again, maybe. Cal was nothing if not consistent, though.

Ethan rolled away from Cal, sniffing and rubbing his eyes.

He felt Cal's hands on his shoulders. "Nibbles, I know you're awake."

"Mmmm," Ethan grumbled, burying his face into a cushion to try and escape the luminescence. "Why am I here?" he whispered. The sofa felt scratchy against his skin and Ethan could only conclude that his aching head had been laying on an armrest of igneous rock for centuries.

Cal raised his eyebrows. " _Well_ , it was the closest place to carry dead weight to."

The younger sighed, making a pathetic attempt to slap Cal's shoulder. "Sorry…" Ethan's cheeks flushed.

"It's fine, you're really sm-" Cal remembered his own word. Even though Ethan was safely on the sofa by now, he wouldn't want to risk it for the sake of a little teasing over a few inches. Besides, there were plenty of alternative things to rally about when it came to his little brother. He sighed. "Are we going to talk about what just happened?"

"No," said Ethan, his eyes still closed.

"It's just, I'm pretty sure dust has never made you faint before… Well, actually, there was that one time where you-"

Ethan's hand met with his arm again.

"Okay, okay. So I'm assuming you're completely fine and perfectly able to walk right out of here and go and deal with all those patients in the waiting room, then?" Cal smirked.

The younger whimpered, pushing feeble fists into Cal's chest to try and shove the older away. "Head hurts, Cal…"

"Oh! So you're admitting being ill?" Cal snickered, enclosing his own hands around Ethan's knuckles and moving them out of range. "Paws off, Nibbles."

Ethan made a noise of protest, letting his arms go weak in Cal's grip. He bit down on his lip when he felt it begin to wobble, nodding slowly. He felt a bit helpless.

Cal smiled sadly, stroking his thumb over the back of Ethan's hand. "Do you want me to get you anything? – I'm going to go and see Mrs Beauchamp – but I can make you some tea? Or fetch some paracetamol or tissues?"

Ethan pulled away slightly and stifled a sneeze into his elbow. He whimpered, lifting his arm hurt.

"Bless you; I'm guessing that's a yes to the tissues."

Ethan sniffed. "There's some in my bag," he handed Cal his locker key.

"Okay, one sec," Cal forsook his position, trying to be sharpish when he heard Ethan sniff again from across the room.

He handed Ethan the tissues. "Do you need anything else before I go? Something to eat or drink? – you did just faint, actually, so that's probably a good idea…" Cal stopped when he caught a glimpse of the grimace on his brother's face. "What?"

Ethan swallowed, "I guess some tea would be okay." He immediately felt his stomach protest, as if it was punishing him for the impending mistake. "But no sugar… please."

"That's not like you," Cal immediately picked up on the abnormality.

"Mmmm, I feel a bit- _quite sick_ , rather, so…"

"Sensible plan then," said Cal, grabbing a teaspoon and – "Do you want milk?"

"…Only a small bit," Ethan rested a hand on his stomach.

Cal nodded in understanding, swinging the fridge door closed.

He looked over at Ethan sympathetically. The younger had sat up now, but he was still curled up in the corner of the sofa, shivering, and his head seemed to have taken a particular liking towards the back cushions. Ethan at present had half of his face buried in tissues, but Cal could still spot how tired he looked.

He sneezed again as Cal was pouring the hot water from the kettle.

"Bless you." Cal went to sit beside Ethan whilst he waited for the tea to brew. He rubbed the younger's back when he lent forward with another three sneezes. "Bless you!"

Ethan moaned lightly, burying his face in his tissues and resting his forehead on his knees.

"Eth?" Cal stroked his brother's arm, sounding concerned.

"I'm okay," Ethan said congestedly, "just feel a bit faint."

Cal frowned. "Are you sure you don't want anything to eat?"

Ethan shook his head, burying another sneeze into his tissues.

"Bless you." Cal rested a comforting hand on his brother's knee whilst he sighed deeply a couple of times and blew his nose.

"Sorry…" Ethan mumbled, holding his tissues to his face as he continued to fight against his fluttering eyelids.

"You're fine," Cal patted his knee. He felt his brother flinch and immediately silence his hitching breath when the staff room door opened, but all the younger could do was turn to face the wall and stifle the next two sneezes into his tissues.

Cal rubbed Ethan's back when he sighed heavily, and handed him another tissue for his teary eyes.

"Bless you," The two men looked around to see Zoe sat across the room. She looked up from her notes when Ethan muttered his apologies and a concerned frown made its way on to her face. "Are you sure you should be here, Ethan?"

"My thoughts exactly," Cal said, patting Ethan's knee again and jumping up to save the tea before it was thick enough to stand a spoon in.

Ethan just sniffed in reply, sighing heavily and resting his throbbing forehead on his knees.

"I was going to go and see Mrs Beauchamp," Cal continued, "but I think even she could see that Ethan's about to keel over, so I think I'll take him home now - instead of waiting for her - if I can clear it with you?"

"Yeh, course. I'm sure Mrs Beauchamp would appreciate you coming back once Ethan's settled though, Cal."

Cal nodded. "Wouldn't expect any less." He sat back down beside Ethan, ruffling his hair. "Have a drink of that for a bit," he handed his brother the mug of tea, "and then we'll get you home, buddy."


	3. Chapter 3

I'll Take Care of You – Chapter Three

 _ **Panicatcasualty**_ _, thank you so much! I read through the reviews this morning (this one in particular caught my eye) and thought to myself 'Iris, you're getting a chapter up today whether your fingers fall off from typing or not!' (Luckily, they didn't!) Xx_

 _ **Teeloganroryflan**_ _, yes, poor Ethan! It does make for a bit of wonderful, self-indulgent writing, though! X_

 _ **CBloom2**_ _, thank you, I'm sorry that this has been neglected for a while! Xx_

 _ **Becs2202**_ _, I'm glad you don't think this is OTT, I do worry sometimes! Thank you for your review xx_

 _ **Is-there-somewhere-x**_ _, thank you!:)_

 _I can't remember if I put an overhead **warning of vomiting** in the summary of this story, so please consider yourselves warned after reading this sentence._

* * *

Cal sat Ethan down on the sofa and wished he hadn't spotted the tears shining in his brother's eyes. "Hey, buddy, what's wrong?" he said softly, sitting down next to Ethan and stroking his arm.

The younger just shook his head, biting his lip and searching for Cal's hands with his own trembling ones.

Cal pulled Ethan close to his chest, almost getting teary himself. He could probably count the times Ethan had cried in front of him in the last 10 years on one hand. Cal stroked though his blonde hair, holding him tighter when he felt Ethan's burning forehead burying further into his chest.

Before long the older began to feel tears soaking into his top, his frown deepening at Ethan's little gasps for breath. "Hey, shhhh, we're home now, aren't we?" Cal squeezed his shoulder.

Ethan sniffed. "Tissue?" he sobbed out, wiping the back of his hand across his eyes.

Cal handed him one, rubbing his shaking back soothingly. "Alright?" Cal brushed Ethan's hair from his forehead. "Mmmm, you're just not very well, are you?"

The younger shook his head, wiping his nose and resting his head back on Cal's chest.

Cal stroked his shoulder. "It's okay, Nibbles. How about you have a Nurofen and a little nap, then I'll make you something to eat when I'm back from work, alright?"

Ethan gave a little sigh, a few stray tears sliding down his cheeks. He nodded.

The older patted his shoulder, "I'll go and fetch a blanket and some water then, buddy."

Ethan sat up slightly and pulled his knees to his chest, shivering a little at the loss of Cal's warmth. He buried his face in another tissue, letting his heavy eyelids slip shut whilst he waited.

Ethan wasn't sure how long it had been before he felt Cal's hand on his knee. He managed to open his eyes to find Cal crouched down in front of him.

"I know you're tired, Nibbles," Cal said sympathetically, "but I just need you to take some medicine and then you can have a little sleep, alright?"

Ethan nodded.

Cal popped a pill out of the packet. "I'm only going to give you one, because I'm not sure exactly how many you've already had – I don't think you are either – and the last thing I want to do is give you too many, alright buddy?"

"Jus' want to sleep, Cal…" Ethan whispered, taking the pill from his brother's hand.

The older nodded sympathetically, handing Ethan a glass of water.

Once Ethan had swallowed the pill – his throat didn't seem too sore yet, mercifully – Cal made sure he was warm and settled under the blanket, and that he had enough pillows and tissues.

"Sleep well, Eth, I'll see you later."

* * *

Cal arrived home to find the apartment submerged in darkness, Ethan sleeping soundly on the sofa. Once the older had groped around the wall for the light switch, he was met with the sight of his brother curled up under a blanket, his features soft and his chest rising and falling evenly as he slept. Ethan's face was still very much pale, but at least some of the stress and worry seemed to have left his face in his sleep.

Knowing how much of a light sleeper he was, Cal decided to leave the younger be and headed into the kitchen to make himself some dinner.

This soon proved to be a very unreliable solution, however; Cal should've known better than to clatter pots and pans around when Ethan was sleeping.

"Sorry, Eth. You feeling any better?" said Cal.

The blonde stumbled into the kitchen, looking even more pale and shaky than before. He shook his head.

Cal watched in concern as Ethan shakily took a glass from the cupboard and moved to the sink to fill it up. He seemed to struggle with pulling the tap, his hand trembling quite noticeably. Cal watched as Ethan closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths, and tried to work out whether the younger was trying to calm his frustrations in not being able to simply turn the tap on, or if he was just feeling really ill.

The older stepped in anyway, gently taking the glass from his brother's hand and filling it up for him. He handed the glass to Ethan, then placed the back of his hand to the younger's forehead, checking his temperature again. "You're still hot," he murmured, "take some more paracetamol."

"Maybe in a minute…" Ethan took in a small breath and took a tentative sip from the glass. Almost immediately, Cal saw his face noticeably blanch. He knew his brother well enough to predict the next happening.

Cal grabbed the glass and pushed Ethan to the sink. Just in time.

* * *

Ethan decided that there was nothing more miserable than lying, shivering under a blanket on the sofa, feeling incredibly ill, with a sick bucket on the floor and nothing but Cal's Friends boxset (it was marginally better than the Die Hard one) for entertainment. He'd barely gotten any sleep last night, mostly because he'd been sat up against his headboard with an empty bowl in his lap, his stomach refusing to settle its teasing until the early hours of the morning. Even then, he'd been too restless and feverish to get more than 15 minutes' sleep at a time. He'd also started coughing though, leaving his throat burning and making in incredibly difficult to breathe whilst lying down, what with his already blocked nose.

Cal kept popping in with glasses of juice and bowls of soup and, although Ethan found it rather touching, he might have appreciated it more if his head would stop pounding every time Cal spoke and his stomach didn't feel as though it was trying to turn itself inside out. Being mothered was also frustrating – especially when Cal attempted to cheer him up while all Ethan wanted was for his nose to stop running so that it would be easier for him to lie down and sulk under his blanket.

"Right, Eth, I better head off," Cal said as Ethan wiped his nose on yet _another_ tissue. "Are you sure you'll be alright?" The older sat himself on the arm of the sofa.

"I've been ill before, Cal," Ethan said congestedly, sighing and rubbing his forehead.

"I know," said Cal, stroking Ethan's arm when he sneezed twice. "Bless you. Do you want to try some decongestants again, buddy?"

Ethan groaned. "They don't work," he blew his nose, "and neither does that…"

Cal smiled. "Have you got plenty of tissues, then?" he stroked his hair.

The younger nodded, pulling his blanket up to his chin and coughing into a scrunched up tissue.

"That doesn't sound good," Cal frowned, rubbing his brother's back.

"Started last night…" Ethan whispered, sniffing and clearing his throat. He leant his head back on to Cal's leg.

"Do you want me to leave your inhaler out for you?" Cal said, growing slightly concerned when Ethan started coughing again. He put his hands on the younger's shoulders, giving them a light squeeze.

Ethan brought his hand up to meet one of Cal's. "Yes, please." He whispered once his coughing had died down.

Cal stroked his hair, "back in a minute, Eth," he jumped up from the sofa.

Ethan grabbed a tissue from the table, covered his face with it, then closed his eyes and flopped back on to the sofa, wincing slightly when the movement jostled his stomach. Ethan groaned when he felt a sneeze coming, but he managed to stop it. He really didn't want to upset his stomach any further.

"There we go," Cal deposited the blue inhaler on the coffee table. "Please will you call me if you start to get really wheezy, Eth? I don't like the idea of you sitting here struggling on your own."

Ethan nodded. "I will. I don't think I'm coughing too badly yet, though. I might not even need my inhaler."

"I know you're not as bad as when you were little," Cal sighed. "Just make sure you use it if you need it."

"I will, Cal," Ethan said, looking him in the eye.

"Alright…" Cal sighed.

Ethan could see how reluctant his brother was to leave him on his own. "Caleb, I'm 29 years old-"

"Only just," Cal interrupted.

"Yes, well, even if I was still 28 years old, I would be perfectly capable of looking after myself, as I am now. So stop fussing and just go to work, you can come back at lunch if you feel you really need to." Ethan rubbed his forehead.

Cal felt distinctly guilty for having worsened Ethan's headache, his brother needed some peace and quiet so that he could rest, not Cal fussing around him all day. "Okay, I'm leaving…"

* * *

"Well, don't you look delightful," said Cal sarcastically, dumping his bag on the carpet.

"Mmmm," Ethan looked disapprovingly at the abandoned article, "I've been sick a lot, can't seem to keep anything down."

Cal sat down next to him, locating Ethan's knee under the blankets and resting his hand there. "I do hope you've swilled that bowl out," he gestured to the table.

"Haven't needed it yet," Ethan sighed, closing his eyes and holding a cushion to his chest. "I've managed to make it to the bathroom three times, thought I'd try and save myself the trouble of washing up for once."

Cal smiled. "Would it be a stupid question to ask if you were feeling any better?"

The younger dropped his head on to his brother's shoulder, nodding his head through a yawn.

Cal rested a hand on his forehead. "You're burning up, bud."

"Can't take anymore medicine until 8…" Ethan mumbled, closing his eyes.

"I'll go and fetch a damp cloth in a minute then." Cal patted his shoulder. "C'mon, don't fall asleep on me, Nibbles."

"Mmmm, how was work today?" Ethan squinted up at him, "I hope you weren't too short staffed."

"There's not a lot we can do about that in your current condition," Cal smiled. "There are a few others off, winter bugs and that, but it's not unbearable."

Ethan sighed. "I can't remember a winter where I haven't come down with something at least twice." He started coughing.

Cal rubbed his back. "I don't think there's ever been one. I'm ready and waiting for the tonsillitis that knocks you down for a week - You alright?"

Ethan nodded, sniffling. "Don't say that," he whispered, letting his eyes slip shut again. He rubbed his nose harshly on a tissue, trying to avert a sneeze. The younger felt Cal's hands stroking through his hair, "that's nice," he sniffed, leaning back into Cal's hands.

Cal carried on, feeling how soft Ethan's hair was without the presence of any gel. He snickered affectionately, "your fringe is all floppy."

The younger groaned, jolting forwards slightly and stifling a couple of sneezes into his tissue. Ethan wrapped an arm around his stomach, "can you get the bowl, Cal?" he breathed, turning away and muffling another sneeze into the tissue.

Ethan closed his eyes, feeling his stomach churn. He felt himself pitching forward slightly as his head gave a particularly strong protest of dizziness, but Cal's hands were steadying him almost immediately.

"Are you okay?" he said urgently. Ethan could picture the worried look on his face.

Squeezing his eyes shut tighter, the younger shook his head, strengthening his grip on Cal's forearms. Ethan swallowed audibly and, after a few deep breaths, he thought that he had gained at least a modicum of control back.

Of course, it was then that his stomach decided to flip again and Ethan was very, very glad that Cal had the bowl ready in front of him.

"Alright, buddy," the older attempted to sooth him, rubbing large circles up and down Ethan's back. "It's okay. You've just managed to catch yourself a really nasty flu bug, haven't you?"

Ethan's only response was a strangled gasp as he continued to empty his stomach into the bowl.

Cal gently patted his back. "Alright…" he whispered.

Eventually Ethan stopped retching. He grabbed a tissue and leant back against the sofa, closing his eyes as a tear snaked its way down his cheek.

Cal looked on sympathetically; vomiting had always taken a lot out of Ethan. The younger eyed Cal with sad, wet eyes, looking pale and drained. Cal wrapped an arm around his teary brother, balancing the bowl on his knee. Just in case. "It's okay, Nibbles."

Within seconds, Ethan bolted upright again, his hand flying to his mouth. "Bowl, Cal," he gulped.

Cal's hand nearly knocked the bucket to the floor in his haste to get it to Ethan. The younger swallowed hard and took a few shaky breaths through his nose before relaxing and feebly pushing the bowl away.

Cal offered him a glass of water. "You okay?" he asked warily.

Ethan nodded carefully, taking small sips from the glass so he didn't upset his delicate stomach.

"Hang on a sec, I'm going to go and wash this out" said Cal, jumping up from the sofa with the bowl in tow.

He came back in a few minutes later with a cold cloth as promised earlier.

"Thanks, Cal," Ethan whispered, leaning back into the sofa and closing his eyes as Cal lay the cloth over his forehead. "Where's the bowl?" he rasped.

"It's just on the drying rack, are you going to be OK without it for a few minutes?" Cal sat on the sofa beside his brother.

"I think so," the younger replied, letting his head slip on to Cal's shoulder.

"How's your chest?" Cal inquired.

Ethan screwed his eyes shut, fidgeting a bit to try and attain a more comfortable position. "No worse than when you came at lunch," he whispered.

"But still worse than this morning?"

Ethan nodded faintly, grabbing a tissue from the box beside him and wiping his nose. He quickly raised his other hand to his face when he felt something in his chest shift, and coughed painfully until his head had sunk into his knees. Ethan let out a small whine of discomfort, but left his head where it was as Cal rubbed his back.

"How about we call it quits for today, buddy?" Cal said softly. "You can come and kip in my bed if you like?"

Cal didn't think Ethan's frown of disapproval had been called for. The two of them had shared a room until Ethan was 16, after all.

The younger suddenly burst into the beginnings of another coughing fit, which was all it took to get him to agree to Cal's proposal.


End file.
